Placing Plywood In Attic

Plywood or chipboard is the least expensive option for storage flooring.

Placing plywood in attic.

Laying the plywood flooring. Plywood comes in large sheets. While this is not the optimal setup it is acceptable to have ceiling joists covered with plywood or osb to use for light attic storage of dead loads. Place the insulation back and prepare for the top layering of the attic floor.

My attic is located above my garage and currently the former owner had random pieces of plywood placed up there. Cut the plywood into manageable strips about 10 inches wide to make the job easier. The decision regarding the thickness of plywood to use for the subfloor in the attic has a lot to do with how you intend to use the attic and it also depends on the spacing of the ceiling joists. Plywood serves capably as ceiling material in garages shops and rec rooms when aesthetic design is not an issue.

If your attic joists won t bear the weight necessary to finish out a living space but the engineer cleared them to support floor decking for light storage you can install inch plywood or. I wanted to add more plywood to the area and wanted to know if any specific type i should use. Start off by measuring the panel to be placed as a layer. I assume 3 4 inch but there are many types brands to choose from.

The finished subfloor should look like a grid. If necessary block around them with plywood or corrugated cardboard to prevent the insulation from piling up on the vent. Since the boards are sold in 4 foot by 8 foot sheets you may need to cut them into 2 foot wide strips to get them into the attic space. To give yourself enough space to ensure adequate insulation under the flooring construct a riser of 2 x 4 s in the attic over the existing joists.

Ensuring adequate insulation under the flooring. Some screwed others not. Maneuvering heavy 4 x 8 sheets of plywood or osb oriented strand board up to an unfinished attic is sometimes like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Install two by four blocking between joists or wherever needed to support edges of the plywood that do not have support from the bottom.

Plywood allows easier access to pipes ducts and wiring than drywall. Plywood is viable as a ceiling material particularly in the basement. To make the job easier use a circular saw to cut the plywood sheet first into 2 2 8 strips which will be much easier to handle. Create the subfloor now placing perpendicular joints on the already created first set of the board.